May 9, 2015

Worst State of the Week for Women: Deluxe Mother’s Day Edition

Worst State of the Week for Women: Deluxe Mother’s Day Edition

For this edition of Worst State of the Week, we honor the mothers of America by looking at some cold, hard statistics in order to answer the question: What member of the Union makes it harder on women just to do the daily work of parenting? We looked across several categories to spread the love among numerous worthy states.

Unintended pregnancy is riskier than planned pregnancy both in terms of the mother and child's health, and in terms of the mother's ability to still achieve her education and employment goals. Rates of unintended pregnancy vary widely by state, but while usual suspects such as Mississippi and Texas are way up there, Delaware, of all places, is the actual winner. As Olga Khazan at the Atlantic explains, the First State "has an unusual confluence of factors that add up to a surprising rate of mistimed conceptions," such as bad access to transportation and poor sex education. Since most teen pregnancy is unplanned, it's worth a look at the teen birth rate, which is highest in Arkansas, with a rate of 43.5 births per thousand teenage girls.

One of the biggest challenges facing mothers is lack of health insurance, which can make it hard not only to get prenatal care but to stay healthy for your children. While Obamacare is steadily improving this problem, many gaps remain. Kaiser has a breakdown of uninsurance rates by gender, and Texas is the clear winner, with 27 percent of women ages 19-64 going without health insurance.

Though everyone likes to talk about work-life balance, there's surprisingly scant comparative data on how the states are doing on family-friendly policies such as sick leave, paternity leave, and safe places at work for mothers to express breast milk. In 2012, the National Partnership for Women and Families put together a state-by-state report card, but because so many states offer little to nothing in terms of parental protections, it's impossible to pick a clear-cut winner for the worst. So let's simply give a shout-out to each state that received an F on this metric: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (California and Connecticut were the only two states to receive A grades.)

May 9, 2015

Quarterback Winston files counterclaim against rape accuser

Quarterback Winston files counterclaim against rape accuser



Because they dropped the ball on the investigation. Emphasis mine. Seems he hasn't been harmed at all. Except by his own actions.

May 8, 2015

Texas Republican: Rape victims shouldn’t receive abortion coverage because their claims aren’t “meas

Texas Republican: Rape victims shouldn’t receive abortion coverage because their claims aren’t “measurable”

Texas Republican State Sen. Donna Campbell fought an amendment on Wednesday that would allow exceptions for rape and incest victims from a measure that otherwise prohibits all insurance coverage for abortion. Instead, the GOP lawmaker countered the proposal with her own, which would require victims to report their assaults to police in order to receive exemptions, because otherwise the state might be “enabling” perpetrators.

“I’m concerned that we may be unintentionally providing cover for perpetrators of crimes,” Campbell said. She was then challenged by Democrat Kirk Watson, who pressed her to consider the real-life implications of the law and her amendment.

“Would you agree with me that there are instances where a woman could be raped, and because she fears for her life otherwise, would not want to report that to law enforcement officials?” Watson asked. “Can you conceive of that situation?”

Campbell agreed, but continued by identifying the measure as as strictly “an insurance bill.” “Instead of encouraging that hypothetical situation from moving into protection for her by law enforcement, we’re saying, let’s cover that violation with an insurance payment,” she said. “When she gets the abortion…are we empowering the perpetrator, because now out of a coercion…she gets an abortion, and it’s paid for by an insurance company — and then it may happen to her again?”

“I do agree that when it’s reported, when it’s something that’s measurable within the box — that when it’s reported to law enforcement authorities — then we have something measurable, that insurance companies like to have specific codes, that they then have something that they can then hang their hat on,” Campbell added.

So, essentially: Women who become pregnant as a result of rape or incest should be forced to report their assaults to the police, regardless of perceived threats to their safety, in order to use the insurance for which they already pay to have an abortion — because insurance companies “like to have specific codes” for what they cover.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2015/05/07/texas_republican_rape_victims_shouldnt_receive_abortion_coverage_because_their_claims_arent_measurable/

May 7, 2015

No More Angry Mothers; Embracing Accessible Abortion and Affordable Contraception

No More Angry Mothers; Embracing Accessible Abortion and Affordable Contraception

<snip>

If you were born before women had access to safe, affordable, accessible abortion, chances are your mother was an angry mother.

I was raised by one. Sure -- my mom loved me; but she was over 40 when I was born - and I was the youngest of four children.

My oldest brother was twenty-years-old. My nearest was only thirteen months.

So -- I wasn't (how shall I say this?) -- planned.

Sometimes my mom called me her "baby." Most of the time she called me, "her final mistake."

There were no illusions of "righteous" womanhood in my childhood home. In my family, we knew the truth. Raising kids was no picnic.

"Don't you grow up and have babies for me," my mom said. "You're a smart girl. And you got bigger fish to fry."

My mother might have been angry, but she raised me to be educated, employed and free.


<snip>

My generation was nurtured by women alert to the limits imposed on them. Our mothers trained us to insist on equal pay for equal work and autonomy over our futures.

That's why today is such a mystery to so many of us.

I belong to a gang of women who fought for legal, accessible abortion, affordable contraception and the requisite education necessary to make solid, responsible decisions regarding the future.

And sometimes I wonder if anyone was paying attention.

In spite of the hard-earned lessons we learned from our frustrated, angry mothers, American women are still vulnerable to poverty and the burden of unwanted childrearing.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristine-holmgren/no-more-angry-mothers-emb_b_7215318.html

May 7, 2015

No More Angry Mothers; Embracing Accessible Abortion and Affordable Contraception

No More Angry Mothers; Embracing Accessible Abortion and Affordable Contraception

<snip>

If you were born before women had access to safe, affordable, accessible abortion, chances are your mother was an angry mother.

I was raised by one. Sure -- my mom loved me; but she was over 40 when I was born - and I was the youngest of four children.

My oldest brother was twenty-years-old. My nearest was only thirteen months.

So -- I wasn't (how shall I say this?) -- planned.

Sometimes my mom called me her "baby." Most of the time she called me, "her final mistake."

There were no illusions of "righteous" womanhood in my childhood home. In my family, we knew the truth. Raising kids was no picnic.

"Don't you grow up and have babies for me," my mom said. "You're a smart girl. And you got bigger fish to fry."

My mother might have been angry, but she raised me to be educated, employed and free.


<snip>

My generation was nurtured by women alert to the limits imposed on them. Our mothers trained us to insist on equal pay for equal work and autonomy over our futures.

That's why today is such a mystery to so many of us.

I belong to a gang of women who fought for legal, accessible abortion, affordable contraception and the requisite education necessary to make solid, responsible decisions regarding the future.

And sometimes I wonder if anyone was paying attention.

In spite of the hard-earned lessons we learned from our frustrated, angry mothers, American women are still vulnerable to poverty and the burden of unwanted childrearing.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristine-holmgren/no-more-angry-mothers-emb_b_7215318.html

May 6, 2015

Teen chlamydia epidemic rages in sex ed-shunning Texas school district

Source: Salon

A west Texas school district has confirmed nearly two dozen cases of chlamydia among high school students, at a small-town campus that — surprise! — endorses an abstinence-only sex education program, but does not officially offer sex ed.

At least 20 cases of chlamydia among students at Crane High School were reported to the Crane Independent School District last week, after the Texas Department of State Health Services alerted district officials to the high rate of cases reported in the surrounding counties. According to CBS affiliate KOSA, the district notified Crane High School parents on Monday of the “growing problem,” which so far affects a significant percentage of the school’s nearly 300 students. Crane ISD also informed parents of middle school students about the outbreak, although it is currently contained to high schoolers.

“Honestly I don’t want my kid growing up in an area where nasty stuff like that happens,” Crane resident Edward Martinez told KWES.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2015/05/04/teen_chlamydia_epidemic_rages_in_sex_ed_shunning_texas_school_district/

---

So, you don't see a connection between no sex education and STDs?

May 6, 2015

Georgia sheriff refuses to talk to police about shooting death

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - A Georgia sheriff being investigated for injuring a woman in a shooting called it a "tragic and heartbreaking accident" on Tuesday, but he has continued to refuse to talk to police about what happened, authorities said.

Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill has not been charged in the shooting, which he so far has declined to discuss, said Gwinnett County police spokesman Deon Washington.

Hill critically injured 43-year-old Gwenevere McCord, a real estate agent and friend, inside a model show home in a subdivision in Gwinnett County on Sunday, police said.

Hill and McCord were alone in the home when the shooting occurred, according to Gwinnett police. Hill reported the shooting as an accident.

He called McCord "very dear to me" in a statement posted on the Clayton County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

"I have been entirely focused on Gwenevere and her family," Hill wrote. "I will continue to pray unceasingly for her recovery."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/05/us-usa-police-georgia-idUSKBN0NQ25520150505

---

Something's really hinky with this.

May 2, 2015

A 4.2 earthquake in Michigan, outside Kalamazoo

A 4.2 earthquake in Michigan, outside Kalamazoo

A 4.2 earthquake in Michigan has been confirmed by the National Weather Service in White Lake Michigan.

The earthquake was centered 8 km south of Galesburg, outside of Kalamazoo and was recorded shortly after noon, said meteorologist Joseph Clark.

"It registered as 4.2, which is considered moderate, with little damage -- maybe things falling from shelves or off the wall," said Clark.

People have reported feeling tremors in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and across Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries despite being felt far away. U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Paul Caruso says that's common for quakes of this magnitude.

Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/02/earthquake-michigan-outside-kalamazoo/26773619/

May 1, 2015

Missouri Satanist: 72-hour waiting period for abortions violates my ‘sincerely held religious belief

Missouri Satanist: 72-hour waiting period for abortions violates my ‘sincerely held religious beliefs’

Missouri Satanist plans to challenge her state’s 72-hour waiting period for abortions by claiming the delay violates her religious beliefs.

The woman, identified only as Mary by her local Satanic Temple, said she regards the waiting period as “a state sanctioned attempt to discourage abortion” and plans to challenge the law on religious grounds, reported the Friendly Atheist blog.

The waiting period places an “unnecessary burden” on her religious belief that her body is subject to her will alone, she said.

“The waiting period interferes with the inviolability of my body and thereby imposes an unwanted and substantial burden on my sincerely held religious beliefs,” she said.

Her statements echo language in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, under which Hobby Lobby claimed protection in its successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate.

Under the law Mary plans to challenge, she would be required to wait three days between her initial appointment, where she must undergo counseling, and the abortion procedure.

<snip>

He said Mary would deliver an exemption form for the waiting period when she arrives at Planned Parenthood, and Greaves said the group would pursue legal action if her religious waiver is not respected.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2015/04/missouri-satanist-72-hour-waiting-period-for-abortions-violates-my-sincerely-held-religious-beliefs/

May 1, 2015

Missouri Satanist: 72-hour waiting period for abortions violates my ‘sincerely held religious belief

Missouri Satanist: 72-hour waiting period for abortions violates my ‘sincerely held religious beliefs’

Missouri Satanist plans to challenge her state’s 72-hour waiting period for abortions by claiming the delay violates her religious beliefs.

The woman, identified only as Mary by her local Satanic Temple, said she regards the waiting period as “a state sanctioned attempt to discourage abortion” and plans to challenge the law on religious grounds, reported the Friendly Atheist blog.

The waiting period places an “unnecessary burden” on her religious belief that her body is subject to her will alone, she said.

“The waiting period interferes with the inviolability of my body and thereby imposes an unwanted and substantial burden on my sincerely held religious beliefs,” she said.

Her statements echo language in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, under which Hobby Lobby claimed protection in its successful U.S. Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate.

Under the law Mary plans to challenge, she would be required to wait three days between her initial appointment, where she must undergo counseling, and the abortion procedure.

<snip>

He said Mary would deliver an exemption form for the waiting period when she arrives at Planned Parenthood, and Greaves said the group would pursue legal action if her religious waiver is not respected.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2015/04/missouri-satanist-72-hour-waiting-period-for-abortions-violates-my-sincerely-held-religious-beliefs/